“We’re thrilled about what 2021 is going to bring. This course was designed to host PGA tournaments.”

2020 AT&T Byron Nelson tournament trophy sits on the golf course at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday, May 7, 2020. This is the day the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament would have started before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

MCKINNEY — One year after the AT&T Byron Nelson endured a six-hour weather delay just a couple of days after its pro-am was completely washed away because of inclement weather, it was a beautiful, clear-skied day as the sun reflected off the Nelson’s championship trophy.

The only thing missing? A tournament.

On this Thursday afternoon — the originally scheduled date for Round 1 of this year’s Nelson — tournament chairman John Jenkins met with The Dallas Morning News at the TPC Craig Ranch, the new home of the tournament starting next spring. After two forgettable years at Trinity Forest and with the 2020 swan song at the South Dallas venue canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the focus is shifting to the future as the tournament prepares to take place in Collin County for the first time in its 60-plus year history.

“We’re thrilled about what 2021 is going to bring,” Jenkins said. “This course was designed to host PGA tournaments.”

McKinney Mayor George Fuller reiterated that’s not just lip service, and that the Nelson has been in his and the TPC Craig Ranch’s sights for quite some time. Fuller said when David Craig master-planned the area roughly 20 years ago, the goal was to build a nice enough course and surrounding area that one day, the Nelson would have to pay attention to it.

That came to fruition last month when the PGA Tour announced the Nelson would be moving to the TPC Craig Ranch in 2021. It’s a five-year deal.

“Introducing the world to McKinney through the lens of such a prestigious event is great,” Fuller said. “Activity like this and this type of event breeds other events and other activities. It’s just a great catalyst project.”

Jenkins is the chairman for the 2020 event. He’ll soon pass the baton to 2021 tournament chairman Jeff Walter. And while Jenkins’ year in charge might not have included an actual tournament, he said a lot of the work done in preparation for the 2020 tournament at Trinity Forest will pay dividends next year at its new location.

AT&T Byron Nelson tournament chair, John Jenkins poses for a portrait at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday, May 7, 2020. This is the day the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament would have started before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

“We had a real focus on creating a real high-energy environment on the finishing holes this year [at Trinity Forest],” Jenkins said.

The tournament had planned to move the Katy Trail Ice House Pavilion to the area surrounding the 17th green to create more of a party atmosphere down the stretch. Jenkins said the tournament had reached agreements with Dallas staples such as III Forks, Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, Howdy Homemade Ice Cream and Goff’s Hamburgers to offer familiar, local food options. He said all of the progress made in these areas is replicable for future events at the tournament’s new venue.

Those improvements were being made in an effort to elevate the patron experience at Trinity Forest, where attendance — and, by extension, the amount of money being raised for charity — was heading in the wrong direction.

Mike McKinley, chairman of the Salesmanship Club’s golf board, told The Dallas Morning News in April that the board’s first objective was to choose a venue that would best position the tournament to support the Momentous Institute — the Nelson’s charitable beneficiary.

Until the tournament moved to Trinity Forest, the Nelson had raised $156 million over the 45-year period that spanned 1973-2017, the best mark on the PGA Tour.

That number was steadily decreasing, though. After a high point of $6.8 million in 2017, the final year the tournament was held at the TPC Four Seasons, that number dropped to $4.8 million in 2018 and to $3 million last year. Once the 2020 tournament was canceled in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, that downward trajectory was expected to continue.

But Jenkins said Thursday that through the generosity of tournament sponsors and patrons, the Momentous Institute would receive revenue that would be “in line with what it has received in past years,” though there was not a concrete number to report.

“Even with the challenge of not playing a golf tournament this week, our community has been absolutely phenomenal about donating sales and sponsor sales to Momentous Institute,” he said.

Jenkins noted a high number of patrons have opted not to request refunds in an act of generosity. The Nelson’s official website also has a “donate” option for people looking to contribute to the Momentous Institute. The Momentous Institute is an Oak Cliff-based school for 3-year-old students through fifth-graders that focuses on social-emotional health.

“That’s the whole crux of why we do what we do,” Jenkins said. “Momentous operates at the intersection between education and emotional help. Those services are needed more today in this COVID environment than they ever have been. Having people step up and still provide financial support to Momentous during this time has been phenomenal and just speaks to the heart of our community and our sponsors.”

TPC Craig Ranch, the new home for the Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday, May 7, 2020. This is the day the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament would have started before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

Scott Bell, Assistant Sports Editor. Scott is SportsDay's lead digital strategist. He also currently oversees coverage of the Morning News' college football, college basketball, Dallas Stars and golf coverage. He has been a part of the SportsDay team since 2010 and has previously led HS, Mavericks and soccer coverage. Prior to moving to Dallas, he worked at the Detroit Free Press.